too dry, not sweet, but oaky, leaving a buttery vanilla flavor on her tongue. It was a perfect vintage.
She was so proud of her family. They made damn good wine. From the time she was a child, she’d watched the vineyard and its products grow in popularity. They’d added the wedding venue fifteen years ago, just when Erin was hitting adolescence, and she’d been dreamy-eyed and starstruck seeing brides and grooms profess their love for each other at the place she called home. She used to hide out on the side of the house to watch the bridesmaids and the bride walk down the aisle. They were always so pretty, the brides so happy.
Erin and her sisters used to sneak peeks at the receptions, peering into the barn windows when they were supposed to be in bed, watching the bridal party and their families and guests dance late into the night. While Brenna and Honor gushed over how in love the bride and groom seemed to be, Erin always wanted to see how many bottles of Red Moss Vineyards wine got consumed and tally up how many guests were present, her mind calculating the profits.
Huh. She took another swallow of wine. Maybe she lacked a romantic side. Though that couldn’t be true. Owen had fallen in love with her. He’d asked her to marry him.
He had loved her, right? Of course he had. And she was totally fun. She wasn’t all numbers and business. Once she walked out of her office at the end of the day, she shut all that down and she could really let loose. That was the part of her that Owen had fallen in love with.
There was nothing at all wrong with the business side of her.
She had no idea why she was even questioning herself. She’d been ready to get married. The fault was all Owen’s, who she was not going to think about tonight.
She set the table and dumped the water out of the potatoes and patted them dry. She sliced them in half, put them in a pan, seasoned them and added butter, then turned on the stove to get them nicely browned.
Jason came in with the corn and the steak. He sliced the niblets off each ear. While she worked on the potatoes, he set to work on making the corn salad. The dogs curled up on the pallet on the floor and went right to sleep.
“They were very busy outside fighting each other for a stick, so I think they’ll nap for a while.”
“It was nice of you to play with Agatha.”
“She’s a great puppy, Erin. And she’s fast with learning commands. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with her.”
“You’ll have to teach me how to teach her.”
He crooked a smile at her while he dried his hands on the kitchen towel. “I’ll be happy to.”
Once the potatoes and corn salad were ready, Erin took the watermelon salsa out of the fridge, added a little garlic salt and tossed it. They set the food on the table and started eating.
“How was your day today?” she asked.
“Good. Nothing traumatic, mostly routine stuff, so that made for a noneventful day.”
She slid a bite of steak into her mouth, loving the burst of flavor. After she swallowed, she said, “And you like noneventful days?”
“Not every day. That would be boring. But it’s better for the animals we treat if nothing bad happens.”
“Of course.”
“But I do get the opportunity to work on some pretty detailed surgeries. Our senior vet, Carl Sunderland, is one of the best veterinary orthopedic surgeons in the state. I’ve learned a lot working with him. And this watermelon salsa has a kick. I really like it.”
She smiled. “Thanks. So tell me what some of your favorite things to do at work are.”
“I like going out on the farm and ranch calls. I don’t like to be idle.”
That didn’t surprise her. “When Owen and I were inside playing video games, you were always outside. You were always on the go. You wanted to be out riding bikes or at the playground, or shooting hoops.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Being cooped up inside was like punishment. The only way I like it even now is if I’m working on something complex, like a detailed surgery. I can get inside my head and work it out, like a puzzle.”
Her eyes widened and she set her fork down on the plate. “Remember the puzzles we used to do? You and me and my sisters and